Ratinoff Finds the Cure and Feels Better

I remember listening to Disintegration and feeling like finally there was an album that said everything that I wanted to say. ”Last Dance’ especially blew me away.  When I heard that first opening bass riff by Simon Gallup, it floored me.  The very long intro and guitar haunted me and entranced me to keep listening. Those lyrics about a love that was long gone really stuck with me.  The sound was so immense that I imagined myself listening to it in a large dance hall.  All the tracks, especially “Closedown”, “Prayers for Rain”, “Disintegration” – they all spoke hard to me.

To be honest, I rarely listen to Disintegration these days. But when I think of the album that epitomizes my transition from young boy to teenager, this was definitely the album that spoke to me first.

I was able to see The Cure for the first time in Shoreline Amphitheater in 2000 for the Bloodflowers tour. I remember losing my mind when “Plainsong” started. I may have been all the way back in the lawn, but I felt like I was all the way in the front… It was that transformative.  On their last “singles” tour, I got to see them play “Last Dance” live and I felt my life was complete.  I wish I could have seen Porl Thompson or Boris Williams play live with Robert. Maybe someday…(no pun intended on their single from ”Bloodflowers”).

Ratinoff Finds the Cure and Feels Better: Ratinoff’s new video “Better” is out now. He performs at the Whisky A Go Gowith John Corabi on December 9 and with Bulletboys on December 16.